COALITION’S CUTS TO FEE-FREE TAFE RISKS ACCESS TO CARE FOR THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN

Progress towards fixing the early childhood education and care skills shortage, and access to care for thousands of children, could be reversed if the Coalition’s plans to cut Fee-Free TAFE go ahead, campaigners say. 

The Liberal Party’s plans were leaked in a TikTok video where Shadow Minister for Education Sarah Henderson said Fee-Free TAFE was “not working”. 

Since it started in January 2023, Fee-Free TAFE has seen 40 000 people enroll in early childhood education and care courses, the highest number of all skills priority areas, including construction and nursing. 

Early learning advocacy group The Parenthood are calling on the Liberal Party to reconsider their plans to cut funding for Fee-Free TAFE. 

Campaign Director Maddy Butler said that ending Fee-Free TAFE would make it harder to address the early educator skills shortage and jeopardise access to care for families. 

“Until recently, early childhood educators have been leaving the sector in droves due to low wages, poor working conditions and sector burnout,” said Ms Butler. 

“Since the start of Fee-Free TAFE, 40 000 aspiring early childhood educators have enrolled – that’s enough to educate and care for around 400 000 children. 

“Significant progress is being made, but we still need more early childhood educators to meet the demand for childcare across the country, particularly in regional Australia, where it’s difficult to recruit and retain staff.

“In some areas, the shortage is so severe that early learning centres have had to reduce their intake number or close their doors altogether.”

In the twelve months to December 2024, educator vacancy rates dropped by 22%, following the announcement of a 15% wage rise for early childhood educators. 

“Incentivising the profession works. We need to do everything we can to attract talented educators to the sector, and ensure workers feel valued and supported. 

“Ending Fee-Free TAFE would achieve the opposite and exacerbate Australia’s childcare deserts*, in which a quarter of the population lives. 

“We cannot achieve a universally accessible high-quality early education and care system in Australia without early childhood educators. We urge the Coalition to retract this risky plan,” said Ms Butler. 

1 Based on an educator to child ratio of 1:10 which is the norm in most states and territories for children aged 36 months to preschool aged

*A childcare desert is an area where three or more children compete for a childcare place.